Mennonite Central Committee

Teachings of Jesus

 

Blessed are the 4-year enlisted peacemakers for they shall earn up to $50,000 toward a new fishing yacht.

Blessed are the meek who sign up for two years for they shall earn up to $25,000 toward advanced training in yacht fishing.

- Disciple Recruitment Command Post

 

Suppose you opened your Bible to Matthew 5 and read these blessings about peacemakers earning money for a fishing yacht. Can you visualize the scene? Some warm spring morning, Peter drops his fishing net and pulls his creaky boat onto the shore. There stands Jesus with a gleam in his eye and some words about adventure and a sleek new fishing boat in exchange for a chance to become his disciple. Without so much of a second glance at his leaky boat, Peter wanders off with Jesus through the hills and villages of Galilee.

After a couple years, Jesus hands Peter a bag of cold cash and declares that he is now a member of "the few, the proud, the disciples." Pleased with his new status, Peter converts his cash into the biggest and best fishing yacht ever seen on the Sea of Galilee. Just as he is ready to set sail, Jesus taps him on the shoulder. "By the way, Peter," says Jesus. "Yours is the speediest boat on the lake. You'll need lots of swords and spears for the raid on the Roman garrison in Tiberias. We've got some bloody work to do. Now, here's how to thrust a spear...."

Hard to imagine?
There are indeed striking differences between Jesus' call to serve that we find in the Gospels and the promises above, modeled after the promises found in colorful military brochures. Let's note just a few.

 

The mission of the military is a unique mission. It's mission is to kill. That is the only reason it exists

- Dick Davis, formerArmy chaplain in "Change of Command"

 

Honesty about Mission
Jesus is honest. No rosy prose about painless discipling. Jesus says following him will be costly. He says it may mean being ridiculed. If you want to follow, you'll need to take up your cross. Following Jesus is mostly about serving others and becoming part of God's reign in the world. It's not about putting yourself first. But following is deeply fulfilling. It's like drinking fresh water from a well that never runs dry. Following brings joy.

 

Peace is over. Now we have one job, and that's to kill Iraqis... That's what I want you thinking about:"How do I contribute to killing Iraqis?"

- Lt. General Walt Boomer, U.S. marines in A Women at War. Storming Kuwait with the U.S. Marines, by Molly Moore

 

Military advertising hides the truth. Every year, the military spends almost $2 billion trying to convince you that joining the armed forces is really about getting money for college or job training. Based on the ads, you might think that the military's primary purpose is to meet your needs.

Ultimately, the military is not about education, travel or leadership training, even though some of those things may happen. The military mission is to defend the Constitution and our economic interests by killing or threatening to kill. If you "sign up" you will be trained to kill. You could be ordered into a combat zone on short notice where you would either kill or be killed. You will not find this in a brochure. This truth is hidden.

Service
Jesus's view of service is remarkable. The greatest, in terms of social position, are to serve the least. Everyone, including the enemy, is embraced in the circle of those whom Jesus calls us to serve. We serve not only through acts of kindness and compassion but by seeking release from bondage and oppression. Through acts of service, the social barriers of race, class, gender and nation are broken down. There are no bounds to our service. Ultimately, our service is to God, which unites us with all people around our world.

 

It's easier if you catch them young. You can train older men to be soldiers; it's done in every major war. But you can never get them to believe they like it, which is a major reason armies try to get their recruits before they are twenty

- Gwyn Dyer, as quoted by Lt Col. David Grossman, On Killing

 

The military also calls you to serve. Here the service is restricted by the needs and interests of the nation. You will be told where to serve, whom to serve, how to serve, and how long to serve. While serving the nation, you may indeed perform acts of compassion for another in battle. But your service will not embrace the enemy. Rather, the ultimate goal of your service is to dominate and destroy the enemy with violence.

Peace
Jesus teaches us to overcome evil with good and to learn to love our enemies. The Bible affirms that all people are made in God's image and that people of all nations, languages and cultures are included among Jesus's followers. Our enemies are not people but the ways of violence, domination and greed which grip our world and oppress all of us.

 

On the other end of my sights is going to be someone... a person... someone else with a family that I will probably have to kill in order to complete my mission.

- Favio Lopez, U.S. Army 1991 Gulf War, quoted in "Change of Command"

 

To make peace, Jesus teaches us to learn the ways of peace in our hearts. Jesus tells us to use peaceful ways which disarm the "enemy," such as turning the other cheek or going the second mile. Jesus invites us to pray for our enemies and to turn enemies into friends.

The military also talks about making peace and acting as a peacekeeper. The military's tools for peacemaking are M-16s, fighter jets, cluster bombs and bullets. When the military "makes peace," many people are killed or hurt and more enemies are created. The peace of the military is a peace which frightens and oppresses.

Allegiance
Jesus invites us to place our loyalty and trust in God, like the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Our true security comes from trusting in the God who made us.

 

Ultimately, I just had to say I have given my allegiance incorrectly to the United States of America. I needed to retract that and pull that back, and then give it to Jesus Christ, because he is the only one that has the right to call from us that kind of allegiance.

- Dick Davis, former Army chaplain in "Change of Command"

 

As noted by the Psalmist, "Some trust in chariots, and some trust in horses, but we will trust in the name of our Lord." (Ps. 20:7) When there is a conflict between the ways of God and other loyalties, Jesus reminds us that we cannot serve two masters and tells us that our first priority is the reign of God.

In the military, your allegiance is to the chain of command. You will be taught to follow orders without question. Even the chaplain, who represents religious faith, will wear a military uniform, function as an officer, and be subject to the chain of command. You will not be asked to consider the ethics or morality of the orders you are given. You will be expected to obey.

Summary
And so the decision about military service is not really about education and travel. It's a matter of faith, conscience and ultimate allegiance. It's about your understanding of service, peace and the way of Christ in our world. What will you decide?